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What We Do....

Hall of Fame

Since 1988, Soroptimist International of Toms River has recognized over 50 women and service organizations who have made a difference in the lives of women and children. In conjunction with Ocean County College, our club sponsors the Ocean County Hall of Fame and awards the following

Advancing the Status of Women – honors individuals, businesses, organizations and other enterprises active in advancing the status of women in Ocean County.

Making a Difference for Women (formerly Women Helping Women) – honors those who consistently and effectively use their resources and talents to help other women achieve their potential.

Woman of Distinction – honors women who have made outstanding achievements in their professional, business or voluntary activities relating to one or more of the six Soroptimist programs of service: Economic and Social Development, Education, Environment, Health, Human Rights/Status of Women, and International Good Will and Understanding.

There is an annual induction ceremony, usually held in October, in honor of the year’s winners. There is a wall in the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts at Ocean County College which commemorates all of our winners.Additionally, each of the year’s inductees select a designated organization to which our club makes a financial donation. This presentation is made at our April awards dinner when scholarships and awards are presented to local students and organizations.

Christmas Wrap

For more than 35 years, our Club has been helping people that we’ve never met to celebrate Christmas – among them, clients of Visiting Homemaker Service of Ocean County, Providence House, Dottie’s House, and House of Hope.

Throughout the year, club members gather calendars, greetings cards, pens, postage stamps, magazines, toiletries, dental products, and mugs. And in December, the “mugging” and “bagging” takes places. Mugs are filled with hot chocolate and soup packets, crackers, and other treats. Toiletries, dental products, and candy are packaged in individual bags. And then, on a Saturday in December, SI elves get together to combine the mugs and individuals bags with the calendars, cards, pens, stamps, and magazines, as well as all sorts of snacks, into festive Christmas bags.

From a Christmas Wrap recipient: “Dear Friends, You know how to make “oldies” happy. Today, at 2 pm, my aide presented me with a beautiful plastic bag filled with all kinds of “goodies.” I felt like a ten-year-old. There were so many treats. It took a while to reach the bottom of the bag. Each item is so practical and so delicious. From the bottom of my heart, I say “thank you” for thinking of me. This surely was a highlight of the Christmas season.”

Throughout history and still to this day, women throughout the world face obstacles solely because of their gender. They disproportionately suffer from poverty and discrimination. It’s for this reason that Soroptimist, an organization of and by women, chooses to focus on the special challenges facing women and girls.

Live Your Dream.org (online community)

Soroptimist also sponsors Live Your Dream.org, an online community empowering offline volunteer action. The self-motivated network is made up of people who wish to support women and girls in their quest to lead better lives, while gaining inspiration in their own lives. Members of the free online community work on topics such as women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women, human trafficking, and more.

Other Soroptimist programs include: Global

Soroptimists STOP Trafficking, a project that raises awareness about the sex trafficking of women and girls, and seeks to encourage citizens, law-makers and service providers to focus on this global problem.

Soroptimist Live Your Dream Campaign, which aims to inspire women to live their dreams, and encourages them to pass on their good fortune to others.

Soroptimist Workplace Campaign to End Domestic Violence, an awareness campaign that targets domestic violence as a workplace concern.

Support Us

Become a Facilitator…

Our Dream It Be It - Career Support for Girls Program helps guide young women to become successful, regardless of circumstances or barriers.

Stand Up...

for victims of domestic violence; support the activities of the Silent Witness Project, which commemorates and brings awareness of county residents who have been murdered through acts of domestic violence; donate to help purchase "survivor kits"

Nominate...

a deserving woman or organization for our yearly Hall of Fame recognition

Donate...

to our educational awards; each year, Soroptimist International of Toms River awards thousands of dollars to Ocean County students from local schools, colleges, and universities

Gather Package Items...

for holiday gift packages for seniors, women, and children in need and in crisis